Jones returns to roots on diamond

By the time he finished high school, Marcus Jones knew he was better at baseball than football. His high school baseball coach knew it, and Major League Baseball scouts did, too.

Jones had already committed to Duke to play football, though, and so his dream of playing college and professional baseball was put on hold-for a lot longer than he expected.

Now, in his first year as a role player at Duke, Jones is trying to remaster all the skills that made him a potential late-round Major League Baseball draft pick in 2005.

"It's definitely a different atmosphere between game time for football and game time here," Jones said. "But it's fun, they are teaching me a lot and I am just taking it one day at a time. My role now is to work hard, get in where I fit in, and if an opportunity comes, I need to take advantage of it. That way, maybe I'll get more and more."

Football's dotted line

Jones transferred to Southeast Whitfield High School in Dalton, Ga. before his senior year in high school, and at the time, he was known primarily as a football player with baseball potential. He lettered in football, basketball and baseball. Of the three, baseball was Jones' best sport, he and his high school baseball coach, Jason Keller, said.

Keller oversaw a standout year from Jones, though, and the coach recalled his star player's statistics from memory: Jones hit .452, stole 32 bases, led the team in doubles and home runs, spent time in the field as a shortstop, outfielder and occasional pitcher, and led Southeast to its best record in school history.

Still, there was one big problem with Jones' monster year: the timing of it. Division-I football recruits sign their Letters of Intent-that is, commit to colleges-by Feb. 1 of their senior year, and Jones was no different. By the time his skill on the baseball diamond became apparent to scouts and college coaches, recruiters were out of luck, because Jones had already signed on to play football at Duke. Professional teams expressed some interest in picking him in the late rounds of that year's draft, but he was set on going to Duke by that point.

Marcus Jones was becoming a linebacker.

Because Jones had to learn an entirely new scheme and way of thinking on the defensive side of the ball, spring practice was absolutely crucial if he hoped to play on the gridiron right away the following season. Baseball was not an option.

"Spring ball is a big deal if you're trying to keep a spot, take a spot, earn a spot," Jones said. "I was switching positions so much that spring ball was that much more important."

Head baseball coach Sean McNally had planned to have Jones on the team in 2006, McNally's first year at Duke, but he understood Jones' difficult situation.

"Marcus and I met when he was a freshman, my first year on the job-basically, we came in as freshmen together," McNally said. "We talked about the possibility of playing and I said I was open to it, but he had to clear it with the football coaches. He went through so many position changes that he couldn't get away from the lifting and the spring practice."

So Jones stuck with football and developed well at his new position on defense, recording 79 tackles and an interception over two years. But when the season, and Jones' eligibility, expired in November, linebackers coach Jim Collins suggested Jones give baseball another shot.

A new type of spring ball

With football season over, Jones approached McNally after two years of little contact about trying out for the baseball team.

The two first met Jan. 19, a short time before team practice began, and Jones participated in several individual workouts and scrimmages while McNally evaluated his talents. Despite his rustiness at the plate, Jones soon earned a spot on the team, and McNally was particularly impressed with his new player's work ethic.

"On a tryout night, he swung the bat pretty well, left-handed hitter, and he intrigued us," McNally said. "Team practice started Feb. 1, and we said we'd see if his skills developed and make a decision then, and he certainly showed us enough. He can run, he's getting better defensively, so we said, 'Let's do this.'"

Jones said he kept his tryout secret from almost everybody, including his football teammates.

"Before I came out, I didn't really tell anybody," Jones said. "I was like, 'I haven't played in four years, and if it doesn't work out, I don't want people to be talking mess about me.' So they didn't find out until I made the squad. I don't know how much [the football program] knows about baseball, but they are supporting me."

In his first baseball season since 2005, Jones' role is limited. The senior's main responsibilities are to pinch-run and come in as a late-inning defensive replacement, and he has had just a handful of plate appearances thus far this season.

Still, he has more time than most seniors to improve. Because of NCAA rules, Jones is entitled to one more year of baseball eligibility after this season's conclusion. He has the option of spending that year at Duke or anywhere else working toward a master's degree.

"He is going to definitely use [the extra year of eligibility], and I think he should-he is very raw, but he's a hard worker and he's been a good addition for us," McNally said.

Looking forward, Jones said he would rather pursue a professional career in baseball than football. Even with the five-year layoff, Jones believes baseball is still his better sport, and he cited durability issues, the shorter length of an NFL career and the lack of guaranteed contracts in the NFL as reasons to follow his dream toward the big leagues.

And for someone as used to change as Marcus Jones, that goal might not be so far out of reach.